


all i see is magic, all i see is you

by mairieux



Series: fool me once with your eyes now, honey [1]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Fairy AU, Fluff, M/M, flower shop au, i worked v hard for this pls love me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 22:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15325662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mairieux/pseuds/mairieux
Summary: Hongbin has always believed in fairies since he was a kid and Jaehwan is a fairy who fell in love with his smileThey used to say, "the most beautiful garden in town will always be the work of a fairy who loves the gardener’s smile”.





	all i see is magic, all i see is you

**Author's Note:**

> tHIS IS SO CHEESY I TRIED TO MAKE IT SOUND MAGICAL AND LIKE A FAIRYTALE OK shoutout to pooja for beta-ing this i appreciate it so much i may have cried a bit
> 
> anyway it’s insp from that art everyone’s probably seen at least once in their life enjoy lol

_Quietly, as loud as a smoke’s breath from a candlelight – this is how you tell a fairytale._

\- **H** -

Like the first flower that blooms in spring, the first ring of laughter from a newborn baby, the first drop of rain in your window; fairies carry this sense of magic that is beyond what your grandmother can explain when she sits down to tell you another story.

Nevertheless, Hongbin had always believed in her.

As she tells him and his brother one more tale of a fairy, this time about fairies helping humans, her voice as crisp as the crackle of the fireplace beside – Hongbin can never fault her when she sounds so genuine.

“Have you seen a fairy before, halmeoni?” His brother asks beside him, eyes wide and little mouth open in curiosity.

Their grandmother laughs, her shoulders shaking in amusement. “Of course I have. You’ll see one in the future, too. Just keep your ears open and then you’ll see.” She sees confusion clouding her grandsons' faces, and she adds, “fairies vary in sizes and appearances, yes. But they’ll always make a certain sound that’ll let you know a fairy is present.”

”What sound do they make, halmeoni?” Hongbin, aged five and just have learnt not to pee in bed last week, is determined to find a fairy.

With a purse of her lips, their grandmother thinks, before smiling - and Hongbin will always remember her little toothy smile, softly lightened by the burning fire.

“You’ll just know when you hear it, Binnie.”

::

And twenty years later, that quiet, stormy night is still fresh from Hongbin’s memory.

It may be silly for a man as old as him to believe in such things, but he couldn’t help it when his grandmother, who he spent his whole childhood with, told him stories with such earnest. Lee Hongbin couldn’t just leave it in the past.

Sure, he still hasn’t seen a single fairy, but he’s just as determined to find one. And if he does, he’ll make sure his grandmother will be the first one to know.

“ _Hongbin-hyung_ …” His brother’s voice startles him from his morning routine of internal monologue while pouring breakfast cereals. He looks up, and sees him already dressed and ready to go to class.

He doesn’t have class so early in the morning.

“Sanghyuk-ah.” Hongbin smiles back, already realising what he’s planning.

“So _oo_ , I have a project in Music Theory due in five hours…” Sanghyuk slowly trails off, feet backing up as his older brother advances, cereal box still in hand, “and I _don’t_ really want to get on my professor’s bad side so I’m going to my Uni early to finalise it-“

Hongbin knows what’s he’s talking about, but he knows  _better_ that Sanghyuk has already spent countless, sleepless nights working on that music project of his. He’s not going to uni early to do this project.

“And you’re just going to leave me alone in the shop?” Hongbin fake sobs, hugging his cereal box with a sob.

“ _Hyung._ ” His brother pleads, and Hongbin rolls his eyes.

“Fine.” He says in defeat, “just make sure you’re there for your afternoon shift.”

His brother of twenty-two years, smiles at him, looking like a warm, cuddly teddy bear, before bolting out the door before Hongbin changes his mind.

::

Chilly mornings are always one of Hongbin’s favourites.

While most people prefer to have sunny mornings and feeling the rays of the sun kissing their skin, he rather prefers cloudy skies and the sun hiding behind puffs of white above instead.

Sighing, he stands up from his bent position, feeling his back cracking after bending so much to refill his watering can.

The new batch of sunflowers he planted has finally bloomed yesterday, and Hongbin’s taking extra care to keep them healthy. His grandmother’s favourite flowers, and he can’t wait to bring her some soon.

With a smile, he generously pours water on their soil, remembering what his grandmother told him about sunflowers one time.

“ _Binnie_ , _did you know about how Sunflowers turn to meet the sun?_

_“While it’s not entirely true, when you meet someone you love one day, it’ll be nice to give them sunflowers. They symbolise telling the person, ‘you make my days brighter’, and I’m quite certain it can make anybody smile as bright as the sun, then. Even if it’s mere minutes of happiness, don’t you think so?”_

As the memory finishes playing, he moves on to water his own favourites – Hydrangeas. Though they do have a sad meaning under flower dictionaries, cold-heartedness, he’s quite sure that there’s a Japanese legend saying otherwise.

 _Thankfulness for understanding and earnest emotion_.

The rich blue flowers, calmly swaying in the morning breeze, carry a weight that Hongbin’s own words couldn’t, and once again, he falls in love with flowers.

 _Huh_.

Now that he notices it, it’s quite strange to see the petals have such rich colour even if Hongbin’s garden wasn’t in the most optimal location. Maybe his grandma’s green thumb really passed on to him.

Mystified, he carries on with his morning task, thinking of the budget and the orders placed today and smiling again as he says hello to the camellia flowers.

Hongbin, unfortunately too preoccupied thanking his flowers for being pretty today too, misses the sound of a tinkling bell skittering toward bushes.

\- **J** -

“Your lips are going to fall off if you keep pouting like that.”

Batting his eyelashes, Jaehwan turns to where the voice came from and sees his friend, lamp in hand that makes Jaehwan’s pink skin glow orange.

“I’m not pouting,” he replies, pushing lips out even more.

Fairies are as small as they can be, but Hakyeon, this friend of his, seems to be even shorter than average.

Hakyeon laughs loudly, gaining a judging burp from a frog nearby. Whatever. If a human hears it, they’ll probably think it’s just the sound of a candy wrapper crinkling in the ground.

Inevitably, Jaehwan pats the spot next to him on the rocks and admires for a second how its texture shines under the dim light of the moon before Hakyeon sits on it.

“Still no luck?” His friend finally asks, and Jaehwan returns back to pouting, his little wings flickering sadly in the night.

“It’s not that I’m unlucky,” Jaehwan replies, eyes trailing down the pond the gardener maintains. It’s brimming with life with koi fishes, some bobbing their heads up from the water to greet them hello. Cute. “I just can’t do it.”

“Why can’t you do it?” Hakyeon asked him so casually that Jaehwan almost believes he’s really wondering.

“Hakyeon- Fairy. You. Me. Wings. Small. Pink.” Even if he’s looking away, Jaehwan can already imagine his friend’s expression that he hates so much. Eyebrows raised, cheeks pushed to the side, lips pursed.

“There’s nothing stopping a fairy to show himself to a human, Jyani.”

And while, indeed, Hakyeon made a point, Jaehwan’s brain still brews up a storm in his head, and clouds him with thoughts that make him feel smaller than he really is.

“But what if he freaks out?”

“Would you freak out when you find out a fairy has been helping you all this time?”

“I’m not doing all the work, Yeonnie. His smile makes it work.”

“Yet you’re the one with magic using his smile to make flowers bloom.”

Point taken.

Jaehwan shuts up, and uses his wings to wrap himself around, feeling sadder and sadder by the second. He thought he might’ve been able to do it today, after preparing himself for so long, only for him to…

“I wish I were just a flower.” He tells his friend after a long pause, voice muffled by his arms. “He looks at his flowers as if they make his day.”

There’s some shuffling, and he feels Hakyeon lean against him, watching his feet bounce front and back in slow beats against the rock. “And that’s because you help them grow. When was the last time I saw hydrangeas as healthy as that in this fickle weather?”

“ _Yeonnie_ ,” Jaehwan tries to make him quiet, even for just five minutes. But Hakyeon doesn’t.

“Maybe you don’t have to be a flower,” Hakyeon tells him, pulling away.

He looks at him dazedly.

“Are you still telling me to show myself like _this_ to him?” He’s so tired of this conversation.

Every time Hakyeon reassures him that it’ll be fine, a big part of Jaehwan believes him, and every time when the confrontation comes, that big part of him crumbles away immediately and makes himself- and _Hakyeon_ , feel another round of disappointment and he doesn’t want to see his friend look at him pitifully again _and_ _again_.

“No, Jaehwan.” He watches Hakyeon take off, flying, leaving the lamp he brought with him next to Jaehwan. “I’m saying, maybe you can… You can be something else.”

Horror flashes in Jaehwan’s eyes, and he cries, “are you telling me I should turn into a _dog_!?”

Hakyeon distantly wonders how he puts up with him.

“ _No_ , you sad frog.” The frog from earlier burps, recognising somehow what Hakyeon said. “S _orry_ . I meant, _look_ \- I’m tired of seeing you pouting beside this pond and I just want you to be happy.” He shuts his lips tight for a second, before saying, “I took the liberty and talked to Ravi.”

Now Jaehwan looks confused. Ravi? What did Hakyeon need to talk about with the head fairy in the area?

“And… And I got his permission. Pick the lamp up. There’s a small case in there.”

Even though Jaehwan’s thoughts are going a mile a second as he still doesn’t understand where this is going, he complies, and indeed there is a small drawer. He pulls it out and inside is a small cookie that looks like the ones he sees mothers bake their children in houses he passes by.

There’s a note beside it, too. Jaehwan picks it up first.

_Lee Jaehwan, our loyal and hardworking fairy, contributed more than enough to flourishing plant and animal life in town. I, Ravi, grant you permission to be human-_

He looks up at Hakyeon, eyes flashing, and Hakyeon stumbles, somehow, even if he’s in air.

“Keep reading.”

_As most may have known, fairies are given limited time when in form of a human. Nevertheless, if what your dear friend has told me is true, I trust you would be able to retain. Lest you worry coming back, I’ve already seen you prove your worth as a fairy. You are free to do your own will from now on, Jaehwan._

**_Ravi_ ** _\- Kim Wonshik_

“Hakyeon…” Jaehwan finally finishes, and he looks up, seeing his friend watching him expectantly.

“I’m sorry, I thought it might help. I really didn’t want to intervene on what you wanted, but I just don’t like seeing you sad anymore, Jyani. I’m sorry-“

And Jaehwan cuts him off, with a hug, his wings fluttering fast to make him lock Hakyeon in a bone-crushing embrace.

“ _Thank you_ , Yeonnie.” He tells him, and Hakyeon breaks out a smile, patting his back. “I didn’t know what I would’ve done after today.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Hakyeon suddenly pulls away when he hears the tremble in Jaehwan’s voice, and just as he assumed, Jaehwan’s crying. He pats his cheek.

Jaehwan uses the sleeve of his clothes to wipe his tears, and he hears his friend chuckle.

Then, after a moment of silence, Jaehwan opens his mouth. “Also, I _didn’t_ know Ravi’s real name was _Kim Wonshik_?”

When he thought Hakyeon will laugh, he gets a concerned look instead.

“You know what he was talking about?”

He gets a confused sniffle.

“About the limited time fairies were given.”

Of course, of course, _of course_ – Jaehwan shakes his head no. He wouldn’t be Jaehwan if he did.

So Hakyeon pulls him by the hand; they return sitting down on the shiny rocks illuminated by the moonlight, the koi fishes popping out to say hello again, and the lone frog nearby, burping happily at the turn of events.

::

“Well, have you decided?” Hakyeon finally asks, breaking the silence Jaehwan was reduced to.

After explaining what Ravi had said in the letter, Jaehwan became another bundle of glowing stress.

Hakyeon understands, of course. He’s suddenly put into pressure.

“How long will I last?” Jaehwan questions, quietly, and Hakyeon can’t say for sure.

Fairies like them have the smallest hearts, and turning human strains their hearts for them to survive. To live as a human, they’ll need a real human to be beside, to love them, to have someone’s heart beating just so a fairy’s heart can continue.

Magic works in weird ways.

“Maybe a month to three,” Hakyeon replies, anyway. An answer is better than leaving Jaehwan worrying.

For once, as Jaehwan had wished earlier, the two of them finally shared silence that lasted, probably longer, for five minutes. And he’s the one who speaks first.

“I’ll try, Hakyeon.”

::

In the meantime, Jaehwan rents an apartment that Hakyeon recommended. It was a bit expensive, but it was nothing Jaehwan can’t buy.

As his friend had revealed to him, fairy tears – or pearls, as known to humans, are really valuable. They spent a night collecting the pearls Jaehwan has shed in his fairy home. It was… A lot.

Some of them are small, but on some nights, when Jaehwan got too sad, the tears he shed dried up as big as his head, and now he’s glad he didn’t throw them away (he found them pretty anyway) as they’re worth a lot.

But now, Jaehwan’s determined not to cry anymore. (Unless, of course, money’s needed.)

Currently, he’s lounging on a couch, idly staring at his ceiling. He hears a bump on his door, meaning Hakyeon, and he flies.

Except he doesn’t and he stays right where he is.

Right.

Human. No wings.

Maybe there’s one downside to being human.

After fiddling with the doorknob to remove the lock, he opens the door and stares in shock as he sees Hakyeon standing head-on with him.

“Ha… Hakyeon?” His voice trails off as Hakyeon grins widely.

“You think you’re the only one who gets to be human?” Hakyeon says giddily, spinning around as he shows off his new body.

“Why…?” He starts listing off the reasons that could be why Hakyeon also turned human until he came to the conclusion, “oh God. I knew it. You _do_ like his brother!”

Hakyeon shoots him an annoyed look, eyes slanting. “No, stupid. I’m here because I know you’re as useless as a legless goose on how to act as if you’ve been human your whole life.”

They settle inside, Hakyeon casually sitting on his couch with his legs crossed.

“You sound like you know how to,” Jaehwan quips as he sits across another couch. And his friend smiles.

“Of course I do,” he says, eyes closed, breathing in the smell of the fresh flowers Jaehwan decorated. “It’s not my first time to be one.”

“Oh?”

Slowly, Hakyeon curls his lips into a smile, eyes shining as he seems to remember something. “Yes. I turned human a long time before. And just like you, I fell in love with a human.”

 _Now_ Jaehwan’s intrigued. “And then?”

“Well, you can see how it turned out.” The smile present on Hakyeon’s face suddenly feels plastic, transparent- “He married. I was the fastest friend he made – I was human for eight months, I almost thought he loved me back. But that wasn’t true, I realised, after he asked me to be his best man.”

How… How come Jaehwan’s never heard of  _this_? Instinctively, he felt shy meeting his gaze.

“I said yes, of course. And he called me his best friend. Such a silly man. Would you really call someone you just met eight months ago your best friend? Nevertheless,” Hakyeon pauses, and closes his eyes once again, “I attended the wedding. The bride, she was pretty, yes.  But he- _He_ _was_ _beautiful_ , Jaehwan.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off him the whole wedding, and even when they kissed, even when I felt my heart fighting my body to shrink back to its original size, I managed to maintain a straight face,” he says with a small smile with a voice Jaehwan couldn’t describe with anything else but _pained_ , “and only when the wedding ended. I lied to him- well, I told him the truth first.”

“Told him I loved him, all those eight months, and he looked like he saw right through me. I lied right after, then, telling him that after that night I had a flight to somewhere else. Of course, I didn’t. I just knew my heart won’t last another day in that body.”

Little, little details Jaehwan that doesn’t miss, makes him feel pained. But, he knows, that it still won’t amount to what his friend felt that night.

“I left him, on a balcony where the reception took place at. Before I left, however,” and quietly, as Hakyeon breathes out, eyes shut as he relieves the memory, “he grabbed my hand, and kissed me- the longest three seconds of my life.”

Hakyeon’s suddenly laughing, mirthless, shoulders shaking. “Can you believe it? A man who just wedded kissed his best man. Then he told me, he’s always liked me back. He just thought I didn’t.”

Now, Jaehwan releases a breath he didn’t even realise he’s holding, and hears thuds next to Hakyeon on the couch – pearls.

“How was I supposed to react? Happy? _Glad_ my heart can beat for another minute?” And Jaehwan just nods, hushed. “I told him I felt grateful, that he did love me. But that was it; in the morning, I was gone. I deleted his phone number on the phone I had. I just checked it earlier for once, actually, and I saw he tried calling me days and weeks and months even after the wedding. Funny, innit?”

 _No_ , Jaehwan thinks. Once again, he feels sadness curling inside him.

“Anyway,” Hakyeon clears his throat, his lips trembling to another forced smile. “The rest is history; I’m better now, and I’m more invested in your little fairytale, Jaehwan.”

“Do you…” Jaehwan decides against what Hakyeon had said, unable to help himself. “Do you still love him?”

Unsurprisingly, Hakyeon doesn’t look phased. His eyebrows just shooting up in the slightest, mouth opening in the smallest ‘o’, before patting the spot next to him in Jaehwan’s couch. The younger is next to him in seconds.

“’Course I do,” he admits, and how come Hakyeon can say something like that so proudly? “Us fairies, Jaehwan, aren’t as fickle as humans. When our hearts have fallen in love, that’s it. It won’t settle for anything else.” He sees Jaehwan with his lips jutting out again, back at his usual pout.

“Like you do, I get my power for magic from him. If yours are smiles, mine’s his laughter,” he says, before chuckling, and adds, “unfortunately, unlike your gardener, he doesn’t laugh so often. It took me four months before I managed to break his soft shell.”

“Was he also a gardener? A farmer?”

“Fairies don’t just revolve around people who plant, you silly duck.” Hakyeon quips, flicking his friend’s pointed nose. “He makes music. And teaches it too. I just found him when I got attracted to the growing honeysuckles on his campus.”

“And found him I did.”

He’s got a look in his brown eyes that Jaehwan wonders if that’s how his eyes look like too when he’s thinking about his own silly crush, “it took me a week to convince Ravi to let me, but when I finally met him, as a human, I felt that my own magic was incomparable to his flair.”

“He must be so beautiful, then, Yeonnie.”

“By gods- he  _really_ was. He radiated more fairy aura than I did, and the sound of his laughter! It got me so shocked when I first heard him giggle I thought I was going to combust from the spot!”

As Hakyeon tells him more and more about his little love story, Jaehwan slowly feels his own heart beating quietly against his chest, as if almost questioning him.

With a hushed breath, Jaehwan silently wishes for Hakyeon to have his old romance back, and of course, for him to succeed in his own. It’s just the beginning, after all.

::

“No, no, no!” With his tan arms (that still bewilders Jaehwan, by the way, as he’s used to seeing him looking orange) crossed in front of him, Hakyeon tuts disapprovingly as his friend showcases him an outfit- And an  _outfit_ it was.

A shirt with Japanese text that says _「ベイビー・ボイ」_ above an anime character that Jaehwan thought looked cute, with jogging pants and then… Christ forbids,  _crocs_.

“Aw…” Jaehwan whines, fingers holding out the fabric of the shirt and admiring how cute the character is. “Why not?”

“Just… _No_.” There’s no use to explain, to fight for it like this, so Hakyeon just pinches his nose bridge and sighs. “Where did you even get those?”

“Oh… There was a store nearby this building? I think it was named ‘thrift shop’. Catchy name. The store owner was kind, too. She offered more of the shoes I’m wearing but I declined because I know other people might want their own pair.”

Jaehwan, cute, flower fairy Jaehwan. Jaehwan who smiles at the koi fishes and says sorry when he bumps into ladybugs. Kind fairy Jaehwan who increased the growth speed of sunflowers just to see the man he loves smile – is, unfortunately, too gullible for humans.

In frustration, Hakyeon drags him out of his flat (of course telling him to change his crocs first) and brings him to the closest mall, immediately setting his sights on brand name stores. _Perfect_.

He pulls Jaehwan in _Uniqlo_ , knowing that their fashion can be immediately used by Jaehwan for everyday cycles.

And then more, and more stores that Hakyeon’s really thankful that their tears are so valuable that they can afford this much- as the next thing Jaehwan knows, he’s standing in _Gucci_ , feeling the high-quality items decorated all over his body, and Hakyeon looks at him proudly.

“Do I really need clothes as expensive as these?” Of course, he knows that money’s no problem. It’s just that they don’t even know how long Jaehwan will stay as human, yet they’re already spending so much money.

“Perhaps,” he hears Hakyeon reply lightly, still with eyes bright as he examines the _Gucci_ belt Jaehwan’s wearing. “Besides, even if you fail, I’m sure we can shrink these clothes we bought to your size.”

“Alright,” Jaehwan gives in at the end, as always.

They pay up front, the eyes of the cashier bulging out in the slightest when she sees the final price these customers are going to pay for. She expected Jaehwan was some broke college student with his anime shirt and sweatpants, but that proved her wrong when Jaehwan pulls out his wallet bulging with fresh cash.

She takes another look at him while she silently punches the receipt, and concludes that maybe there’s just a new fashion trend for rich college students.

::

“Do you think I should introduce a different name?” Jaehwan brings up one evening, making Hakyeon look up from his scheduled tea.

“When I see him,” he clarifies, and he mimics the gestures he sees in the telly, “ _’My name’s Tom, yo!_ ’”

Without another second of attention, Hakyeon returns to his cuppa, and drones out, “I suppose; if you want to change back to a fairy immediately.”

“Wha _aat_? Tom doesn’t sound like a bad name,” Jaehwan whines, kicking at Hakyeon’s direction.

He’s been staying in the flat as Jaehwan rented, making him realise now why Hakyeon made him get a two-roomed flat.

Thinking for a moment, names floating around his head until- “I know! How about Ken?”

“Just use your real name, Jyani.”

“What if he finds my name easy to forget, though?”

“He won’t, you stinky fish,” Hakyeon reassures him, smiling as warm as his cup of tea. “Anyone will remember someone like you.”

Jaehwan was about to coo, say something along the lines of Hakyeon being his _bestest_ friend, before Hakyeon adds, “since you like to make your presence loudly known, surely he will.” He gets kicked in the side gently.

“Now that you mention it,” Hakyeon doesn’t falter, laughing as he continues, “it doesn’t really make sense you couldn’t make your presence known to him, when you’re so loud.”

“Shut up! _I get it_!!”

Soon, Hakyeon’s evening tea was forgotten to a cold as they started slapping each other’s faces (with the softest sofa cushions of course, that Hakyeon convinced Jaehwan to buy).

\- **H** -

Slow afternoons are okay. Sticky, hot afternoons are okay, too.

But slow  _and_ sticky afternoons, with the blaring sun sizzling right at him from the big glass window, is definitely  _not_ okay.

There’s nothing around to entertain him ( _read: no Sanghyuk around to annoy_ ) and all Hongbin can do is sigh as he knocks his head against the counter in boredom.

With arms spread in front, he brings his head up to look at his shop. Empty. So he stares at his hands instead, wiggling his fingers, trying to get some form of entertainment from them.

It’s gonna be fine. It’s the second or the last day with a hot afternoon since they’re going to get their air-conditioner back from repairs tomorrow. Hopefully.

Still looking at his fingers, trying to note every detail his hands has, he misses the chimes of a bell.

“Hello?”

He tears his eyes away from his hands, and there’s a customer standing in front of him- _How did he not hear him come in –_ oh right _, hands_ \-  looking expectantly at him.

“Good afternoon,” Hongbin greets politely, sitting properly now and flashing his pretty dimples, “which flowers can I help you with?”

The customer smiles, and waves him off. “No, no. I don’t need help- _actually_ , yes, I do.”

_Okay… What?_

“You see, I’m here with my friend, but he’s too shy to come inside.” He points his thumb behind him, and Hongbin sees another man standing outside. In the blazing sun.

“Does he really not want to come in?” It’s a little worrying he’s standing outside when Hongbin’s already melting  _inside_. “It’s really hot; he might get a heatstroke or something.”

And the other man just smiles, as if he knows something that he doesn’t, and comes out to probably try to convince his friend again to come inside.

Suddenly, the man’s friend turns his head, and Hongbin sees him with shades on and- _oh wow that’s the sharpest nose he’s ever seen_. Awkwardly, Hongbin nods his head at him.

It takes another minute before the both of them to finally coming in, albeit the man in tow moves hesitatingly.

Gosh- Hongbin wonders if his flower shop was just that repulsive or he’s just too shy.

“Hello again,” the man without the shades greets once more, his hand tightly gripping his friend’s arm. “My friend here,” he pulls him forward, and Hongbin finally notices the seemingly expensive clothes he’s wearing – conclusion, his shop _must_ just be repulsive- “he needs help choosing flowers.”

“Uh, what occasion, exactly?” Hongbin prompts, one of his eyebrows raised as he starts listing off what it could possibly be; first dates, break up flowers, flowers asking for forgiveness-

But he doesn’t get an answer, as he sees the man tell his friend, “well, you can answer that yourself.” He says, patting him on the shoulder with a bright smile.

“Hakyeon.” The man in shades finally speaks, and Hongbin couldn’t quite put a finger on how his voice sounds.

“I’ll leave you to it, Jaehwan.” He, Hakyeon apparently, waves him goodbye, and leaves before his friend could make a move to run after him.

“Sorry,” he tells Hongbin as nods his head apologetically, shades sliding down his nose.

“It’s ok, uh, sir-” Hongbin debates calling him the name he heard Hakyeon use, but decides against it, as he really hasn’t introduced himself.

“Jaehwan.” Or not.

“Okay, Jaehwan.” The smile is back on Hongbin’s face, and he watches Jaehwan finally take off his sunglasses to reveal beady eyes and pretty lashes (it’s not really helpful to have gay thoughts while at work). “What can I do for you today?”

“Um. Yeah, so, like my friend Hakyeon said,” he scratches his neck, with his lips pushed together in a pout that Hongbin found, unfortunately, too cute, “can you help me choose flowers for saying thanks?”

::

It doesn’t take too long, and Hongbin has already shoved a bouquet of Sunflowers in Jaehwan’s hands.

“How much does it cost?” Jaehwan asks, hands already moving to pull out his wallet from his back pocket.

“$60,” Hongbin uncasually taps the counter, watching his customer’s nimble fingers pull out a hundred dollar bill, probably among many other hundred dollar bills, and hands it to him. He thinks as he returns a $40 back, and speaks (asks?), “would you like a tag for the bouquet?”

“Oh yes, please.” It’s a little unfair how pretty and unchapped Jaehwan’s lips look like when he curls his mouth to a smile, especially when Hongbin’s own pair of lips are slowly crumbling off like a desert. “Something like ‘thank you for always being here for me’ will be okay.”

Absentmindedly, Hongbin scribbles it down in his prettiest Hangul on the sparkly periwinkle paper that Sanghyuk impulsively bought. He almost makes a mistake when Jaehwan’s phone suddenly rings.

“Ah- hello, Hakyeon,” and he watches Jaehwan’s eyes almost comically go larger, “sorry, yeah, I’ll be there in ten minutes tops.” Just like that, he runs out of his shop, hurriedly and frantically.

_Wait._

The sunflowers.

Unfortunately, the moment Hongbin’ s out of his shop, bringing the bunch of sunflowers in hand and blinking against the sizzling sun, his pretty customer was nowhere around.

::

“What’s that?”

The voice rips through Hongbin’s train of thoughts, and he looks up to see his younger brother lounging on their sofa, game paused and a half-empty bowl of popcorn beside him.

“You’re home early,” Hongbin replies instead, and Sanghyuk scoffs, returning to his game, the sound effects booming loudly in their house.

“My teacher in 21st Century Lit didn’t come in class,” Sanghyuk’s voice raises in the slightest as he plays the game, on edge and pressed with the with boss chasing him as he climbs up and up on blocks, “on maternal leave or something. I didn’t even know Seeun was married.”

He dives down as Hongbin’s hand comes up to chop his neck, already knowing that he’d scold him for calling his teacher by their first name again. Hongbin settles next to him on the couch, anyway, still watching Sanghyuk’s naked character pull blocks out of the wall he was climbing.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he hears his brother say after he finally gets a breather and wins the round, the game’s dramatic church bells playing in the background.

And Hongbin almost forgot what he was talking about until he realises he’s still holding the bouquet of sunflowers.

“Some customer forgot their order earlier,” he finally answers, eyes raking in the homegrown sunflowers from his garden. “It’d be a waste if I didn’t bring it home. Funny, though, the customer didn’t seem like he was really in a hurry. If I were in high school I would’ve assumed he left it on purpose.”

Swiftly, Sanghyuk grabs the sunflowers from him, and reads the tag stuck on the bouquet.

“He told you to write this down?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re delusional then, hyung.” Once again, he ducks and avoids Hongbin’s hit with a loud giggle.

“I said if I _were_ ; I didn’t say I think so.” Hongbin distantly wonders where they went wrong when raising Sanghyuk. And a quieter part of him wonders too, if he’ll get to see the same customer soon again.

::

Looks like he doesn’t need to wonder so much, as the next day Jaehwan’s back in his shop, clad in a crisp clean shirt from _Uniqlo_ and light-washed shorts. He’s not sporting the shades he was wearing yesterday, so the moment he came inside, Hongbin’s immediately flustered over his pretty face once again.

“Welcome to _Seo Hee’s Flower Shop_!” Of course, Sanghyuk beats him to it.

Jaehwan’s eyes turn to his brother, who was currently tending a fresh batch of flowers, and it makes Hongbin even more panicked as he realises he was immediately the first one Jaehwan saw when he came inside.

“Hello,” he hears Jaehwan say, bowing his head in the slightest towards Sanghyuk and flashing another pretty curl of a smile with his cherry lips. There’s no way he didn’t use a tint.

“Hello again, Jaehwan.” Hongbin’s almost surprised he didn't stutter. He clears his throat, and continues, “you left your order yesterday.”

Sheepishly, Jaehwan ducks as his cheeks get dusty pink.

“Sorry about that,” he says apologetically, “I promise I won’t forget it this time.”

“It’s okay,” Hongbin just wants to run his fingers through his blonde hair, feel how soft it is, now that it’s not melting hot inside the shop and the AC back on full power. “How can I help you today?”

But Jaehwan just waves his hand, “it’s okay. I just want to look around.”

Ah, perhaps Hongbin got a little too excited. He nods, anyway.

::

“Hyung,” Sanghyuk comes up at him, soiled gloves still on, “you seem distracted.”

And in fact, Hongbin indeed is. He’s been trying to budget for their next month expenses, his brother’s tuition to pay. Yet it all becomes fruitless, when Jaehwan’s cute ass has been hanging around in his shop for no more than five minutes.

“I’m fine, Sanghyuk.” A terrible attempt to be casual. “Did you finish trimming the excess? I want to see if I can put them into tea bags later.”

“ _Hyung_.”

Sometimes Hongbin wonders who’s really the older brother between them. He looks up, in the end, and sees his cheeky brother with eyes that knows him better than himself.

“Is he the customer from yesterday?”

Jaehwan’s in the far back end of the shop with the AC, its loud whirring noise enough to drown out Sanghyuk’s voice.

“He is.” Hongbin replies light-heartedly, “what about it?”

“Nothing!” Of course there’s something. “He just looks… Like someone your type.”

Before Hongbin can go strangle his own brother, though, Jaehwan comes up to the counter, baby’s breaths in hand.

“Hello again,” he says, eyes shining and so, _so_ pretty. “I’d like to have these wrapped, please.”

It’s not really that much of strange choice, baby’s breaths, but it’s not really that common of a pick for a bouquet because of its small flowers and size. Hongbin thinks it fits Jaehwan’s grace.

“So,” he hears Sanghyuk start, and Hongbin curses inwardly as he wraps the flowers up in yellow paper. “Who are you gonna give these flowers to?” Hongbin looks at Sanghyuk for being so forward. But his brother just grins comfortably, obviously enjoying what he’s doing.

He turns to Jaehwan, anyway, also curious for his answer as he also bought sunflowers yesterday. However Jaehwan doesn’t answer and smiles at them instead, tight-lipped and eyebrows relaxed.

“If it’s for your girlfriend,” Sanghyuk carries on as if Jaehwan looked like he wanted to talk, “then that’s a good choice. Baby’s breaths mean long-lasting love, right hyung?” He nudges Hongbin on the side, and Hongbin almost eats his tongue.

“Yes- yes, it does.”

“That’s good then.” If Jaehwan doesn’t stop smiling as if he holds all the secrets in the universe or God so help Hongbin he doesn’t stop playing with his lips he’s going to end up eating his fist. “How much is it?”

“$50. Any written message you want to put?”

The customer shakes his head no, and hands them a crispy fifty-dollar bill that Sanghyuk gladly took.

“Thank you for shopping with us, please visit us...” Sanghyuk trails off, as he watches his brother hand Jaehwan the bouquet who gave the flowers a small sniff, before grabbing Hongbin’s hand, and shoving the bouquet back to his hands, and then scurrying out their shop.

Suddenly it’s quiet, save for the last chimes of the bell on their door, the last remnants of Jaehwan’s earlier presence.

“Did he just-” Hongbin doesn’t bother looking at Sanghyuk, still bewildered by the fact that Jaehwan really left the bouquet in his hands. “Hyung.”

So Hongbin looks at him, and he sees Sanghyuk biting his lip to hold back from laughing, “did he just really do that?”

“Maybe he just, I don’t know, forget-”

“There’s no way he left that accidentally, hyung. He took it from you but gave it back.”

“I don’t know, Sanghyuk!” Hongbin sets the bouquet aside, face burning as his hands slide up to his hair to ease his head.

“That guy’s got a pretty face, but I gotta say,” he hears his younger brother snicker, unfaltered and very much amused, “he’s terrible at flirting.”

Even if the AC’s back from repairs and is working like brand new again, Hongbin still feels a little too hot.

::

It carries on for weeks on some days Jaehwan comes by consecutively and on others, he takes two to four days (not that Hongbin’s counting, or anything) and sometimes he stays longer, to chat, or sometimes his leaves immediately, hurriedly leaving another bunch of flowers in Hongbin’s hands.

And it’s no different today, as Jaehwan’s back, this time with his specs on and he dyed his hair mint green, and Hongbin falls for him a little harder.

“Hello again, Hongbin!” Jaehwan doesn’t seem to notice the red that’s on his cheeks, and Hongbin’s thankful for that.

After Hongbin told Jaehwan his name some time ago, Jaehwan didn’t miss every opportunity to say his name (and it kills Hongbin every time he hears his own name come out those pretty, pretty lips.) Again, not that Hongbin’s counting.

“Hi, Jaehwannie-hyung,” Sanghyuk looks up from changing the soil, waving his gloved hand. He’s stuck in the shop again because it’s a weekend, and since Hongbin loves his college student brother so much, he always wants him nearby (read: to take care of the shop).

“Hello, Hyukkie!”

To be honest, it makes Hongbin a little jealous that Jaehwan calls Sanghyuk with his nickname, and that’s only because he heard Hongbin call Sanghyuk that himself.

He wishes Jaehwan call him his own nickname too, but for that to happen he’d need to tell him that himself, or hear Sanghyuk call him that. If Sanghyuk does call him that, though, his brother knows he won’t see the sun the next day.

“I’d like a bouquet of dahlias today.”

Hongbin makes a move to get from their display, but Sanghyuk brings it up instead, and now Hongbin’s in an even more flustering situation as he feels Jaehwan’s eyes all over him.

“Hey, Jaehwannie-hyung, what do you do for work?” Back again at his questions, Sanghyuk only really does this because he knows his brother is hopeless.

Jaehwan doesn’t answer for a moment, as if he also doesn’t know the answer, but he smiles and says, “I’m a pearl trader.”

Huh, that explains a lot. His big wallet and fancy clothes, that is.

“So you have a business by the sea and you trade them here in Seoul?”

_Can Sanghyuk please stop being nosy for once-_

“Something like that, yeah.”

Clearing his throat, Hongbin grabs Jaehwan’s attention, and he relishes, even if it’s for a second, how Jaehwan’s eyes go soft when he meets his. “Would you like to add a message?” Hongbin doesn’t know why he still asks that when he knows Jaehwan’s just-

“‘You’re really pretty’,” Jaehwan breaks his train of thought, and Hongbin splutters in his seat.

“You alright, hyung?” He can hear Sanghyuk’s mocking tone, and Hongbin wants to crawl under the counter and rot. “Hey, write it, our customer’s waiting.”

Glaring, he does write it, another shiny paper Sanghyuk bought for a project that ended up having a lot of excesses.

“That would be $50,” Hongbin hands him the finished bouquet, and Jaehwan gives the bill to Sanghyuk who happily takes it.

And as always, Jaehwan hands it back, silently, eyes laughing and mint hair bouncing up and down when he moves his head.

“You’re really pretty,” he repeats, and how does Jaehwan say things like that without wanting the Earth to open up and swallow him whole? “You’re really pretty, Hongbinnie.”

The nickname catches him off guard, and he barely chokes out thanks before Jaehwan leaves their shop once again.

It doesn’t take another minute, however, for Sanghyuk to open his loud mouth.

“Damn, that man really knows what he’s doing.”

Groaning, Hongbin slams his forehead against the counter, letting the blood rush to his head as he knows there’s nothing he can do about it.

“Just shut the fuck up.”

::

“Ah, hello – hyung?”

“Sanghyuk?”

“Yeah, so, I’ve got a project again, I won’t be able to come for my shift.”

“But-”

“It’s fine, hyung; I’ll have someone in my place.”

::

Just so happens that the certain help his stupid brother was talking about was Min Hee, Sanghyuk’s classmate and Hongbin’s number two fan (he likes to take pride that his number one is Jaehwan).

Min Hee… is very nice. Slender, tall, long hair, good boobs… Not his thing.

As much as how beautiful girls can be, Hongbin likes dick. (Girls can have dicks, he knows, but Hongbin likes _men_.)

So when he’s trying to awkwardly smile back and accept Min Hee’s flirtatious comments, his saving grace came by with his cotton candy hair flowing even in the slightest wind.

“Hongbinnie!” Jaehwan greets him, smiles wide, wearing those round glasses that Hongbin loves too much, “I missed you. Did you miss me too?”

“Hi, Jaehwan. It’s nice to see you again.” And it really is, Min Hee looked away when he came inside, uninterested, and went back to watering the plants.

“Who’s this?” He gestures anyway to her, and Hongbin wonders how someone can be that social. “New employee? Where did Hyukkie go?”

“That’s Min Hee.” Hongbin introduces shortly, not really wanting to give her attention. As much of an asshole he sounds, she might get a stupid idea and-

“Hey, I’m Min Hee.” And oh god, does she come up to stand next to him behind the counter, their arms brushing. “I’m Sanghyuk’s classmate, but I’m here in his place because something came up. I like to think it’s his way of letting me know more about his brother, though.”

“Oh?” Jaehwan’s smile never left his face, even as he was picking up hyacinths, strangely all yellow, and brings it Hongbin.

“Yes! I’ve always told Sanghyuk I wanted to see his brother, so I was glad he gave me this opportunity for us to know each other more.” Min Hee sounds actually genuine, and Jaehwan sounds a little...

“That’s great! Hongbin here is a good guy, I could always trust him with my flowers!”

But Hongbin’s really shaking as he’s wrapping the flower up, hands trembling as he pulls put the shiny paper tag.

“Any messages?”

“Yes, please write ‘Thank you for everything.’”

Once again, he absent-mindedly writes it down in his prettiest handwriting, sticking it, and hands it to Jaehwan.

Just like routine, Jaehwan hands him forty dollars, already grown accustomed and knowledgeable on which flowers cost how much after frequenting Hongbin’s shop for almost two months. And as always, he hands it back to Hongbin, letting their hands brush against each other longer than before.

Min Hee’s already off to working again after she boasted about her situation, so Hongbin lets his heart pound loudly, and takes note of how warm Jaehwan feels against his.

“Thank you,” he says again, and he feels his chest tightening when Jaehwan sends him another smile that he’s sure that Jaehwan  _knows_ how much it makes him crash and burn. “Come again.”

And that was that.

\- **J** -

“What’s the matter, Jyannie?” Hakyeon, the traitor who started this, stands up from their couch the moment he sees Jaehwan come back with his shoulders slumped.

“Hongbin has a girl.”

“And?”

Jaehwan looks up from the floor – Hakyeon sees his mouth with another pout – eyebrows scrunching up as if Hakyeon just offended him.

“And they were planning to date, courtesy of Sanghyuk.”

All of a sudden, Hakyeon’s pulling him to the couch, patting his back comfortingly, obviously knowing the pain after what he’s told Jaehwan in the beginning.

“I’m so sad, Hakyeon.” Jaehwan didn’t need to say it, the soft thuds of pearls hitting the leather couch were enough. “I thought I was really doing well, and I thought Sanghyuk knew what I was doing but-”

“Hey, no, come on,” Hakyeon shushes him, his own hand fitting his and the other coming up to card his hair soothingly. “You did your best, Jyannie. You made him happy, and that’s what matters.”

It still doesn’t stop Jaehwan from sobbing, but he’s hiccuping less, and his hold in Hakyeon’s shirt becomes less tight.

“I’m so sorry this also happened to you, I shouldn’t have brought this idea up, in the end,” his friend starts to ramble, and Jaehwan pinches his side, softly giggling when Hakyeon yelps.

“I’m gonna be okay, Yeonnie. What makes Hongbinnie happy makes me just as happy.”

Hakyeon looks at him as he inhales, dark eyes watching every movement.

“Let’s go home.”

::

It’s a little hard to adjust back to his old life, as he’s not used to balancing a heavy body again, and his wings- he missed cute little wings so much.

Being a fairy was the best, in the end,  he bitterly thinks as he drops another crumb of bread to Hongbin’s koi fishes, too bad humans aren’t cute enough for wings.

The last time he saw Hongbin was four days ago, and he misses him so much already. Jaehwan knows he can just come inside his house, and catch him shirtless if he wants to. Jaehwan may be the neighbourhood fool, but he still has standards.

“There you are.” He shrieks out loud enough for the koi fishes to swim away, and he throws a glare at Hakyeon for surprising him.

“Ravi talked to me,” Hakyeon carries on anyway, already used to Jaehwan sulking at him for the pettiest reasons, “and he said you can always turn back human whenever you wanted to.”

“I’ll tell him my thanks when I see him,” Jaehwan pensively, eyes staring at the fishes. “Which reminds me, we can just do that? Turn back human by will?”

“Yes, after eating the cookie once.”

The older feels a pang of guilt strike inside him when he sees Jaehwan actually looking like he considers, and Hakyeon doesn’t want him to get hurt anymore, so he pulls him by the hand, and flies him away.

::

Two weeks since Jaehwan last saw Hongbin, and Jaehwan couldn’t help but notice the flowers faltering in the slightest.

Jaehwan knows it’s his fault, since he doesn’t even dare to come out when Hongbin’s out watering his garden. He needs his smile the most, and it’s been too long since he last seen it.

Remorseful, he flies to a bunch of heliotropes, cooing at its pale colour and willing his magic to help it return its old state. It barely does anything but flutter in the slightest, and Jaehwan feels even worse now.

He was about to fly away when he hears the sound of a metal watering can clanking against the ground, and when he turns around, he’s suddenly face to face with none other than Hongbin himself.

“A- A fff _ffhhh_ \- A... A fuh _hh?”_ Hongbin keeps tripping over his words, eyes wide and Jaehwan doesn’t miss the dark circles under it. “A  _fuh- fairy_?”

But Jaehwan’s frozen in place, unable to think straight and Hakyeon’s nowhere nearby to save him from this situation. He watches, staying still, as Hongbin walks up, dangerously bringing his face close to look at him.

And suddenly, Hongbin bursts out a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling and Jaehwan finally gets the strength he’s been denying himself for days.

“I always knew fairies were real! Grandma was right! You’re real!”

Jaehwan had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from sassing Hongbin back, and he just pouts, glad anyway that he looks different as a fairy, pink skin and all.

“May I?” Jaehwan doesn’t know what Hongbin is asking permission for, but he nods, unfortunately, weak for him in the end.

The last thing he expects was Hongbin gently cupping him in his hands, his smile going even wider when he sees Jaehwan slump and sit on his palm, wings fluttering and sparkling.

“You’re so cute!” Jaehwan feels himself blushing a magenta over Hongbin’s little outbursts, and he can only nod. “Can you talk?”

“Hello,” and it comes out as the tiniest squeak to Hongbin’s ears, probably, but Hongbin smiles at it anyway, feeling extremely happy for some reason.

“I’m Hongbin,” he introduces himself, and Jaehwan pretends that’s the first time he’s heard the name his whole life. “Are you fairy around my town?” Jaehwan shakes his head no. “Oh, you’re not from here?” ‘No,’ again.

When Hongbin looks at him confusedly, Jaehwan pouts and points at the ground and his garden, and Hongbin finally exclaims, “oh, you’re a fairy that lives in my garden?”

He finally nods, excited and re-energised in this little chat.

“How come I’ve never seen you before?” At that, Jaehwan cowers in his palm, hiding his face with his own tiny hands, and Hongbin somehow understands that. “I get that, I’m shy too.”

“Hey little fairy, can you give me an advice?”

The fairy looks up, and he sees the Hongbin’s earlier happy face looking suddenly a little sad. He tilts his head to the side, and Hongbin brings him with him to sit on the stairs that led to his garden.

“You’ve seen to be helping me all this time, so I hope it won’t be a bother to ask for your help again,” he starts to say, and Jaehwan gets even more puzzled. “But is there any fairy magic to make me happy?”

Hongbin mirthlessly chuckles, and Jaehwan touches his palm in the slightest reassuring way.

“I’ve been really sad because there’s this person that I really like that I haven’t seen for a while.” Jaehwan almost thinks it his grandma but- “I’ve been seeing him every day for two months and when he suddenly stopped coming to my shop since two weeks ago I ended up missing him so much.”

-but Hongbin is apparently talking about him and Jaehwan feels himself falling deeper and deeper again for this human.

“Do you love him?” Jaehwan all but squeaks, flying up to Hongbin’s face to meet his eyes.

“I think… It’s not love yet, but my chest gets really tight when I see him, and his smiles make my day and-” Hongbin catches himself before he goes on further, and he blushes under the fairy’s stare. “I think I like him a lot.”

That’s all that Jaehwan needs to hear, before loudly saying, “make a wish!”

Dumbly, Hongbin opens his mouth to say his wish out loud, but Jaehwan flies to his lips and holds them shut. “Silently!” And Hongbin all but chuckles, his lips rumbling against Jaehwan’s hands.

“Done?” When Hongbin nodded, Jaehwan brings his small lips to press against Hongbin’s cheek. “What’s that for?”

“To make your wish come true.”

\- **H** -

Sanghyuk is in the middle complaining about his Music Theory professor again, something along the lines of his voice being too quiet, but Hongbin just drowns it out as he replays the situation in the garden yesterday.

“And he’s only smiling when there’s a kid or when he looks at his phone! Can you imagine a professor who never smiles? He’s so scary hyung I don’t-”

His younger brother stops mid-sentence when the door chimes, and they turn to see Jaehwan, looking like he ran a marathon.

“Jaehwannie-hyung!” Sanghyuk doesn’t miss a second to greet him, while Hongbin is just seating shell-shocked behind the counter, unable to believe his eyes that Jaehwan’s back.

“You were gone for so long,” his brother continues, “what happened?”

“Business stuff, had to leave for a few weeks.” Jaehwan huffs, and Hongbin thinks he might’ve just overreacted since he forgot that Jaehwan ran a trading business near the sea and-

“Hongbin.”

Said man finally notices the bouquet of flowers that Jaehwan brought with him – definitely not from his flower shop – that looks like it had magic sprayed all over it. Jaehwan gives him the flowers, and he takes Hongbin’s hand in one swift movement, before saying,

“I like you.”

Suddenly, Sanghyuk’s gone, leaving Hongbin to his own, and probably laughing alone.

“Uhh-” Hongbin feels like a mess – a hot, melting mess that would resemble the same exact afternoon where he first met Jaehwan.

“You don’t have to answer right away!” Jaehwan exclaims, and his eyes trail down to their hands, softening in the slightest. “Can I just... Steal you away tonight?”

Throwing everything rational away, and Hongbin finally trusts himself to speak. “Yes- yes you can.”

Jaehwan smile grows even larger, and the last brain cell in Hongbin’s head fries away as he pulls him over the counter, and lets his chapped lips meet Jaehwan’s- oh, _oh_ , they’re  _impossibly_ soft and Hongbin wishes he can kiss him forever.

He came to his senses soon enough again, and pulls away, seeing Jaehwan’s own shocked expression mirroring his. Hongbin coughs, and shys his eyes away. “Sorry- I got a little too conceited and-”

“Why’d you pull away?” He lets out a gasp when it’s Jaehwan who pulls him this time, and- _yeah_ , this is okay.

::

The wind feels cool to their skin, as it’s in the middle of autumn after all.

Nevertheless, Jaehwan and Hongbin wordlessly walked the steps, and smile when they both see what they were looking for.

“ _Halmeoni_ ,” Hongbin greets, kneeling, before setting sunflowers down the stone.

 **_Lee Seo Hee_ ** _(1937-2013)_ _  
_ _all she saw was magic, all she saw was love_

“How have you been, halmeoni?” Hongbin always gets so excited to tell his grandma about what happened to his life, but with what happened to his life for the past ten months, this one just makes him buzz with to life. “I’ve been good, very good, in fact. I brought my boyfriend here today.”

Jaehwan crouches down, eyes bright as he watches his lover mindlessly talk to his grandmother’s grave.

“I’ve never stopped believing your stories since you started telling me about them, halmeoni. And I remember vaguely that I was determined to find a fairy for you.” Hongbin squeezes Jaehwan’s hand in his, feeling his warmth ripple against his skin. “And! I did! Halmeoni, my boyfriend’s impossibly the cutest fairy to exist.”

There’s soft laughter tumbling out of Jaehwan’s lips, and he snickers something like ‘don’t let Hakyeon hear that’. Not so long after their confessions eight months ago, Hongbin told Jaehwan how he wanted to see him actually, and Jaehwan was all smiley, telling him, ‘I know, a little fairy told me’.

That little revelation was enough for Hongbin to realise what Jaehwan just implied, and he confirmed it, even more, when he turned to the small fairy Hongbin met when they were alone in Hongbin’s house.

“I hope you like him, halmeoni,” Hongbin’s baritone voice brings Jaehwan back from reminiscing, and he distantly wonders how he’s gotten so lucky, “because I really do, I really love him.”

His boyfriend slaps lightly him on the arm, laughing over how cheesy he’s getting, but Hongbin just takes his hand again, and just asks for his grandmother’s protection.

“I really wish you could’ve met her, Jaehwan,” Hongbin says as they walk downwards the stairs of the uphill cemetery, the evening sun slowly coming down the sky and painting the sky a sleepy blue. “She would’ve loved you.”

“It’s okay,” Jaehwan reassures, leaning on Hongbin’s arm with a small smile, “I have you, and that makes me very happy already.”

“Thank you,” and Hongbin means it, really.

“No,” Jaehwan shakes his head, and kisses the corner of Hongbin’s mouth, “thank  _you_. The last thing I expected was you to like me back but here we are.” His boyfriend’s eyes are soft, misty, and Hongbin wants to kiss away and any tears that will threaten to fall. “But let’s go. As I thought I can’t muster the courage to kiss you in a cemetery. And Hakyeon will talk our ears off if we come home any later.”

Laughing, they continue walking down, body warmth being shared in their close distance, and fingers dancing against each other's skin.

While Hongbin’s grandmother told him endless fairy tales, he’s glad to live in one. Silently, he wishes for a happily ever after, too.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, s/o to cutest friends out there (orgy not n bbq gc looking at u thanks so much for the endless support)  
> other stuff i wanted to include but couldn't:  
> \- taek is actually sanghyuk's music theory prof if u didn't catch it... and hakyeon fell in love with someone who teaches music ,,, any guesses??? uwu  
> \- a lot of symbolism was actually used in this fic, i studied flower language as a hobby last year. try searching the meanings for the flowers i mentioned!!  
> \- a lot of this was just stolen from legend of the blue sea lol 11/10 drama love it jaehwan also sang an ost  
> \- also dont worry, hakyeon's gonna get a happy ending ( :) )  
> thanks so much if you've read until the end! please leave a comment to let me know what you liked!


End file.
